Jefferson County, CO Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted
- Resolution CC26-094, eff. June 30, 2026
- Fine
- Up to $1,000 per violation
- Added surcharge
- $10 to victims/witnesses fund
- Enforcing office
- Building Safety Division
- County remedy
- Repair, demolish, bill as special assessment
- Exempt
- Land under state mining reclamation acts
Summary
Jefferson County enforces Appendix Y, "Unsafe Buildings and Structures," of its 2024 Building Code Supplements against dangerous structures countywide in unincorporated Jeffco. An owner who ignores a Building Division notice faces a civil infraction with a fine of up to $1,000 per violation, under Resolution CC26-094, effective June 30, 2026.
B. Violations. 1. Any person who receives written notice from the Jefferson County Building Division stating that a building or structure owned by such person has been determined to be unsafe under the Unsafe Building Code and who fails to comply with such notice commits a civil infraction and, upon conviction thereof, such person shall be punished by a fine of not more than $1000 for each separate violation, which shall be collected by the Treasurer of Jefferson County and paid into the treasury of Jefferson County. As provided in C.R.S. § 30-15-402(2), any person convicted of violating any of the provisions of the Unsafe Building Code shall also pay a $10 surcharge, which shall be collected by the clerk of the court and transmitted to the court administrator of the judicial district in which the offense occurred for credit to the victims and witnesses assistance and law enforcement fund.
Full Breakdown
§30-15-401. §30-15-402(2) that the court forwards to the judicial district's victims and witnesses assistance and law enforcement fund. 2 goes further than a fine: if the owner still doesn't comply, the county itself can order the building repaired, rehabilitated, demolished, or removed, and then levy the cost of that work as a special assessment directly against the property. Section C limits the ordinance's reach to buildings and structures within unincorporated Jefferson County, carving out an exception for buildings on "affected land" under the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Act or the Colorado Surface Coal Mining Reclamation Act.
The current ordinance, adopted March 31, 2026 and administered by the county's Building Safety division, explicitly supersedes a long line of earlier enactments (CC13-287, CC13-326, CC15-329, CC15-353, CC15-389, CC18-339, CC18-364, CC23-027, CC23-055, and CC26-054), so it is the operative unsafe-building rule for the county today.
Violations & Fines
Ignoring a written unsafe-building notice from the Building Division is a civil infraction carrying a fine of up to $1,000 per separate violation, plus a mandatory $10 court surcharge to the victims and witnesses assistance fund. Beyond the fine, the county can order the structure repaired, rehabilitated, demolished, or removed on its own authority and bill the cost back to the property as a special assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a building "unsafe" under Jeffco's ordinance?
What happens if I ignore a notice about my building?
Can the county demolish my building itself?
Does this ordinance apply to old mine sites in the county?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Jefferson County
Compare Jefferson County to another location·View the Colorado property maintenance overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.